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Mount Olympus National Monument

Mount Olympus National Monument

THE NATIONAL MONUMENT Previous to the expeditions of the latter part of the nineteenth century, the area which includes within its bounds the present Mount Olympus National Monument was the subject of the most fanciful speculation. This region, embracing the very heart of the rugged alpine area lying in the center of the , was her­ alded widely as the most isolated and unknown country in the . Rumors circulated of prairie or valley lands supposedly ex­ isting amidst the , harboring ferocious animals and wild cannibal Indian tribes. No definite knowledge concerning this vir­ gin area existed; while the Indian dwellings on the fringes of this region continued to relate strange legends about the coun­ try. But today, happily, the scenic beauty and grandeur of the heart of the Olympics is common knowledge. The notion of fierce animals and cannibals has been displaced as enthusiastic thousands are coming more and more to realize the unlimited possibilities of the Olympics as a playground and recreational area of unsurpassed beauty and pleasure. The Olympic peninsula is dominated by the huge central mass, the , which diminish gradually in altitude until they form a low plateau on the edges of the peninsula. The moun­ tains in the center, of which Mount Olympus with an altitude of 8200 feet is the culminating peak, tend to run east to west and are from twenty miles long by fifteen wide. A western limb with de­ creasing altitude extends toward Cape Flattery. It is believed from a geologic standpoint that the Olympics are new and that the "rav­ ages of time" have not yet worn off the rugged and sharp edges and peaks which are so strikingly characteristic of the Olympics.1 Henry Landes gives the following description of the geologic for­ mation of these mountains :2 "It may be tentatively suggested that the Olympics represent a region once worn down nearly to a base level, and then uplifted to a height of about 8000 feet above the sea and subsequently eroded by streams of water and ice to their present rugged outlines. The higher peaks, such as Olympus, represent more resistant masses which in the former period of did not reach a true base

1 Smith, A. A., "The Olympics," Steel Points, Vol. 4, 144, July, 1907. 2 Landes, Henry, HNotes on the Geography of the Olympics," The Mountaineer, Vol. 1, 3'6-37, June, 1907.

(214) The Mount Olympus National Monument 215

level. The forces of upheaval, it may be said, prepared a mighty block of rock, out of which the forces of nature, represented by the weathering elements, running water and , have chiseled the mountains as we now know them." Concerning the rock formation of the mountains we cannot do better than to quote the words of Professor C. E. Weaver:3 "The great central mass of the Olympic mountains. is composed of metamorphic rocks. The most conspicuous varieties are schists, slates, and quartzites. Around the coastal border of this interior metamorphic area are sedimentary rocks, consisting of sandstones and shales, and associated with these are igneous flows. Along the eastern and southern margins of this area are boulders of gran­ ite and other rocks which are not found in the bed rock series of the Olympic mountains, but are common in the mountains on the east and north sides of . The granites and similar rocks were brought into the Olympics and deposited there by great glaciers which at one time came down from the and from the mountains of British Columbia. The glaciers occupied the Puget Sound basin and filled the broader valley of the Olympics." Situated as it is, first in the path of the moisture-bearing south­ westerly winds of the Pacific, the Olympic peninsula is subjected to very heavy , perhaps exceeded in no other portion of the United States. Rainfall varies from forty inches north and east of the mountains to one hundred to one hundred twenty inches annual precipitation in the Upper Straits-Flattery region and along the Pacific. In the mountains sixty to one hundred feet of £all per winter, F. W. Mathias reporting as much as two hundred fifty feet of snowfall annually on Mount Olympus. 4 Approximately fifty glaciers exist in the mountains, Mount Olympus boasting the fol­ lowing: White, Ice River, Humes, Blue, University, Hubert, and several smaller ones. These glaciers constitute the headwaters of the principal streams which radiate in all directions from this central mass area. Flowing westward to the Pacific are the Bogachiel, Hoh, Queets, and Quinault; northward to the Straits of is the Elwha; and eastward to Hood's Canal are the Dosewallips, Duckabush and the Skokomish. The mild tempered , the heavy precipitation, and the fertility of the soil have combined to make the peninsula one of the

3 Weaver, C. E., "Notes on the Bed-rock of the Olympic Peninsula," The M o.",tai"eer, I, 59·60, Sept., 1907. 4 Mathias, F. W., "The Olympic Mountains," Mazama, X, 34, December, 1926. "~~.

216 Clifford Edwi'Ylc Roloff

most densely forested regions in . The lower slopes are covered with gigantic trees, thousands of acres of which average five feet in diameter and one hundred fifty feet high. Trees of twen­ ty-eight feet in diameter have been found and great portions of red fir average two hundred forty feet in height. Amid this forest is "an undergrowth of almost bewildering luxuriance."5 Tangled vines, huge ferns, wild flowers cover the forest floor. This, together with great tree trunks which fell centuries ago and which remain covered with moss a foot thick, make the jungle impenetrable without cutting one's way through. The jungled forest is so dense that even at high noon the forest remains in twilight. This heavy forest covers the mountains up to four thousand feet, where grassy, flowery openings appear in the forest. The timber line is reached very low, at 5500 feet, because of the excessive snowfall. The forests of the peninsula contain one-eighteenth of all the standing timber within the one hundred sixty national forests of the United States. Of this, thirty-nine per cent is hemlock, thirty-one per cent , sixteen per cent Amabilis and other true firs, seven per cent cedar, and seven per cent spruce. Twenty-nine bil­ lion feet is over mature at present. By reforestation it is possible to use three hundred million feet annually without encroaching upon the forests within the National Monument. Within the Monument relatively little of the land has any value as a timber area.6 Wild flowers grow in profusion, among which are included the cassiope, white heather, mountain anemone, phlox, and "Indian bas­ ket grass." There are to be found a number of new and distinct species in the higher altitudes of the Olympics. Here amid the moun­ tains are great flowering and parks, with a curious inter­ mingling of mountain and lowland forms. The Olympics afford the most luxuriant habitat for the Olympic and . Thousands of acres of finest grazing lands; watered by numerous streams, and fanned by the Pacific winds; free from flies, mosquitoes and annoying insects, furnish ideal forage from June to December. Blueberries, huckleberries, bearberries grow thickly just below the icefields and attract the black . The , fox, lynx, otter, also inhabit the mountains. The waters of the peninsula are the paradise of the angler. The are numbered by the millions and are of great size.

5 Mills, Enos A., Yo"r National Parks, 230. 6 These figures are from Hazard, Joseph T., Snow Sentinels of tlte Pacific North­ west, 48. The Mount Olympus National Monument 217

The scene afforded by a vantage point on one of the peaks of the Olympics is superb. On one hand the sea with its islands; Puget Sound with its scattered isles; to the south , , and a beautiful sight of Mount St. Helens "whose head and shoulders rise a perfect snowy cone above the purple forest robe and stand as perfectly poised as a Greek statue of marble."1 This view has been described beautifully by S. C. Gilman:8 "As for scenery, perched on one of the numerous accessible peaks you are surrounded by towering, sky··piercing pinnacles and ragged, rocky ice-capped ridges that are plowed and harrowed by slides of rock and ice and chiseled and worn by ages of rushing water, mantled with snow and garlanded with great patches of roses and daisies and dainty mountain flowers and gowned with dense, dark evergreen forests, reaching far down into cavernous depths of canyon and ravine, across which on some opposite mountain side is rushing from its icy fountain head a tumultous mountain tor­ rent which finally dashes over a lofty precipice and is lost in a veil of mist in the valley below. Away to the west is seen the ocean with its lazily rolling billows, the dark trail of a steamer's smoke, and the white sails of a ship just showing above the horizon. To the east lie Hood's canal and Puget Sound, with their bays and arms and inlets spread out like silver leaf on a carpet of green. Beyond rise the dark, wooded slopes and snow-clad of the Cascades, with grand old Rainier standing guard to the southeast and the majestic Baker to the northeast." Discovery and Exploration No records exist of any expeditions by the Indians of the Olympic peninsula into the center of the rugged mountainous area; apparently, the region lay untouched by human foot until the white man very tardily entered the unknown country. The Indians had a legend that once the central region was thickly populated by a strong, powerful race of Indians who were adept as iron workers, carvers, and who possessed fine herds of horses and cattle. These people prospered.until war called away the men. The severe winter brought and wild animals from the mountains which destroyed the camps and desolated their country. Since then the Indians have deserted the place. This legend remained to give the Indians a su­ perstitious dread of the region. The Indians considered the moun-

7 Mills, op. cit., 236. 8 Gilman, S. c., "The Olympic Country," National Geographic Magazine, VII, 135, March, 1896. 218 Clifford Edwin Roloff tain peaks as the habitation of a spirit which would inflict punish­ ment on them should they desecrate his home. Lieutenant O'Neil who was in the Olympics in 1885 and 1890 told how his Indian guides ran away from the party rather than incur the displeasure of the great mountain spirit by pressing further toward his dwelling place. Albert B. Reagan has described vividly the Indian conception of this god:9 "The great destroyer was the thunder-bird who had his home under the ice-cap of the glacial field of Mount Olympus and from which place he soared forth in the storm cloud when disturbed. When thus caused to leave his home he produces the lightning in his rage by the rapid opening and shutting of his eyes and the thunder by the terrible flapping of his mighty wings." Civilized man first sighted the Olympics when in 1774 the Spaniard, Juan Perez, sailing thousands of miles along the western shores of North America came upon the lofty snow-capped moun­ tains. The culminating peak of the great mass he named Santa Rosalia. Unfortunately for Perez his journal was not known gen­ erally until the mountain had already been renamed. In 1775 Bruno Hecata and Bodega y Quadra, Spanish captains, landed a few miles south of the and took possession of the land for . James Cook in 1778 and William Barclay in 1787 navigated in this region. In 1788, J ohri Meares sighted the crowning peak of the mountains, naming it Mount Olympus or the "Home of the Gods." In the summer of 1854 a party consisting of Colonel Michael T. Simmons, F. Kennedy, Eustis Hugee, Henry D. Cock, B. F. Shaw, and four Cape Flattery Indians, one of whom was "Captain Jack," went on a private exploring trip into the Olympics. Arriv­ ing near Mount Olympus the party decided against the further hazard of ascending Olympus. B. F. Shaw and Henry D. Cock de­ cided to attempt the ascent. With two Indians they reached the top. Records are very scant concerning this, not even the names of the two Indians being known. The trip was supposed to have been made in July.lO The first Olympic Mountain Exploring Expedition, under the command of Lieutenant James P. O'Neil, started from Port An­ geles, July, 1885, but was soon recalled by the Army. June 9, 1890, O'Neil set out from Vancouver Barracks on a second trip. B. J.

9 Reagan, Albert B., The Scenic Olympic Penins"la and Its Forests, 6. 10 HimeS, George H., "First Ascent of Mount Olympus," Steel Points, I, 159, July, 1907. The Mou'J'tt Olympus National Monument 219

Bretherton was one of this party, who with two others on Septem­ ber 22,1890, reached what they considered was the of Mount Olympus. They left a copper box with a record book high on the summit which have never been found. It is very likely that they mistook one of the many peaks for Mount Olympus. Mount Olym­ pus alone has three major peaks and a number of smaller ones. This Exploring Expedition mapped the headwaters of a number of streams, established fifteen camps, and gave names to some of the mountains and ranges. It is interesting to note that O'Neil's report of the expedition carried with it the recommendation, even at this early date, of preserving the elk of the region and also pointed out the suitability of the area as a national park. Though these expeditions had resulted in supplying some meag­ er bits of information concerning the Olympics, they had not thor­ oughly traversed the area nor had they set at rest the strange rumors which persisted in relation to the nature of the land in the heart of the mountains. Of the government charts con­ tained but one or two observations. No definite information existed about the nature of the land, the existence of minerals if any, the quality and quantity of timber, and the feasibility of colonization. Governor Elisha P. Ferry in conversation with a newspaper reporter expressed the advisibility of an exploring expedition to gain scien­ tific data concerning the "Unknown Olympics." As a result of this interview a news item appeared in The Press of October 23, 1889, which was copied by papers throughout the country. The ar­ ticle began as follows:1.1

A CHANCE FOR AN EXPLORER A Section of of 2500 Square Miles in the Olympic MMtntains W'hich Has Never Been Trodden by the Foot of a WhiteMan. Washington has her great unknown land like the interior of Africa. The country shut in by the Olympic mountains, which in­ cludes an area of about 2500 square miles has never to the positive knowledge of old residents of the territory, been trodden by the foot of man, white or Indian.... Indians have never penetrated it, for their traditions say that it is inhabited by a very fierce tribe which none of the coast tribes dared molest. Though it is improbable that such a tribe could have existed in this mountain country without

11. The Seattle Press, July 16, 1890-a reprint from the issue of October 23, 1889. 220 Clifford Edwin Roloff

their presence becoming known to the white men, no man has ever ascertained that it did not exist. White men, too, have only vague accounts of any man having ever passed through this country, for investigation of all the claims of travellers has invariably proved that they have only traversed its outer edges." ... Interest developed and W. E. Bailey, owner of the Seattle Press, consented to finance an expedition into the Olympics. He turned over the task ofarranging for the exploratory party to Ed­ mond S. Meany. James H. Christie, just returning from three years travel and exploration in the Peace and Mackenzie river districts of Canada and on his way at the time to Africa, became interested, while stopping with friends at North Yakima, in the mystery of the Olympics. His attention had been called by Christopher O'Connell Hays, grandson of the great Dan O'Connell, the Irish liberator, to a magazine article mentioning the idea of wild cannibals within the Olympics. In writing to the Press to present his views against the notion of cannibals, he was in turn asked whether he would head an expedition into the region. Christie consented and began prepara­ tions for the trip.12 The party, composed of James H. Christie, John W. Sims, Dr. Runnalls, Charles A. Barnes, John H. Crumback, C. O'C. Hayes, left Seattle December 8, 1889, and returned May, 1890. By Janu­ ary 13, 1890, they were ready to start up the from Port­ Angeles. They left in winter in order to be over the first ranges and into the central valley region by spring. On January 23, 1890, they reached the head of navigation on the Elwha, from whence they had to pack all their supplies by mule or by their own efforts. The party followed the Elwha to Lake Mary at its headwaters. Fifty feet away is Lake Margaret from whence the Quinault flows south­ ward. The trail was marked with three blazes on the trees. Be­ cause of the severity of the weather little prospecting could be done or few side trips taken. Some quartz, silver, oxide of iron, and galena were found, but no gold. The party named some fifty ranges, peaks, rivers, and valleys. Though the report of the expedition that no glaciers were found and that no streams showed glacial origin, sounds strange to our modern ears, it is easily understandable how with a heavy snowfall only snow and jagged peaks would be visible. Following the Quinault valley the group reached the Pacific after six months of hard labor in packing supplies and equipment.

12 In a letter to Professor Edmond S. Meany, dated November 23, 1926, Christie recalls the events in relation to the request for him to head the expedition. The Mou,,­ taineer, XIX, 37-39, December 15, 1926. The Moun,t Olympus National Monument 221

Mention should be made of some of the chief geographical fea­ Lures named on this expedition. These included , Mount Barnes, Mount Christie, Mount Meany, Bailey Range, as well as a number of others. Mount Barnes was named for Charles Barnes, who was a member of the expedition. Because of W. E. Bailey's part in bearing the financial burden of the expedition, Bailey Range was named in his honor. Professor Edmond S. Meany has related very modestly the naming of Mount Meany. "I was designated treasurer of the expe­ dition and went with it part way up the Elwha river. That is the reason that the leaders of the expedition gave my name to one of the many peaks they named and charted."~3 Frederick T. Rouse has fittingly expressed the relation of the mountain, Meany, to the man, Meany:114 I like a mount that bears a name Not false or of far degree, But the name of a friend of intimate fame; That Meany is to me. I like a mount that stands with its mates, Nat distant and hard to see, But social and kind and feels our states; That Meany is to me. L. A. Nelson believes that such was the sentiment of the nam­ ers and explorers of Mount Meany when they named it. He goes on to say, "The mountain has a beauty and individuality all its own; once seen it cannot be mistaken for any other. We who have seen this peak can appreciate the effect on the explorers when they first saw it. When you know the man you love him-when you know the mountain you love it."~'~ The Press Expedition was followed by other groups. A dis­ tinctly scientific party was conducted by Dodwell and Rixon, two government surveyors who prepared a comprehensive report of con­ ditions throughout the area.~'6 Through their efforts a map was made establishing the locations of the principal streams and peaks, the stand of timber, and other matters of value. Jack McGlone, a mem­ ber of the party, on August 12, 1899, scaled the East Peak of Mount

13. Meany, Edmond S., "The Olympics in History and Legend," The Mountaineer, VI, 52, 1913. 14 Nelson, L. A., "Mount Meany," The M01ll'taineer, XIII, 31, November, 1920. 15 Idem. 16 Dodwell, Arthur and Rixon, Theodore F., "Forest Conditions in the Olympic Forest Reserve, Washington." 222 Clifford Edwin Roloff

Olympus. Today the name, Dodwell-Rixon Divide, is a reminder of the work of these surveyors. The record of the first ascents of the principal peaks of the Olympics is an interesting one. Considerable debate has existed over the question of who is entitled to the credit of first having ascended Mount Olympus. We have already noted that Benjamin Franklin Shaw and Henry D. Cock, along with two Makah Indians, claim to have reached the summit of Olympus in 1854, but there is only slight record of the expedition. Thirty-six years later, September 22, 1890, we have also noted that B. J. Bretherton with two companions climbed to what they considered was the summit of Mount Olympus. Since the records they left have never been found, it is altogether possible they were mistaken in the mountain or that they failed to reach the highest peak of Mount Olympus. The three chief peaks of Olympus are East Peak with an altitude of 8050 feet; , 8150 feet; and West Peak, 8200 feet. Jack McGlone of the Dod­ well-Rixon party on August 12, 1899, reached the summit of East Peak and deposited a Shelton newspaper under a rock as evidence of his climb. This newspaper was found by L. A. Nelson on August 12, 1907, Middle Peak, the second highest, was ascended on July 7, 1907, by a party composed of W. E. Humes, guide, and Herschel Parker, Belmore Browne, and Mr. Clark. In 1907, the Mountaineer Club penetrated the Olympics on its annual outing. Months of preparation were spent; thirty-five miles of trails were built beyond the existing roads and trails; large quan­ tities of supplies were packed into the mountains ahead of the party. On July 24, the party of sixty-five, twenty-six of whom were wom­ en, left Seattle for the mountains, this being the first large party to enter the Olympic mountains. From Port Angeles the group ascend­ ed the Elwha and made permanent camp at Elwha Basin at 3300 feet altitude, from whence expeditions were made in all directions. This party climbed a number of the Olympic peaks. Because of stormy weather the main party was prevented from tackling Mount Olympus. However, a group of eleven, consisting of L. A. Nelson, the leader, and Miss Anna Hubert, W. Montelius Price, Professor Henry Landes, Professor Charles Landes, Professor T. C. Frye, Professor F. M. Plumb, Professor C. E. Weaver, Professor J. B. Flett, E. E. Richards, and A. W. Archer, ascended West Peak, the highest point of Mount Olympus and gained the honor of having achieved the first recorded ascent of Mount Olympus. The Moun- The M oun.t Olympus National M onume.n.t 223 taineers also on this trip ascended East Peak, Middle Peak, Mount Noyes, , Mount Christie, Mount Seattle, and Mount Meany. The first recorded ascents of the principal peaks in the neigh­ borhood of Mount Olympus are as follows: Mount Seattle: 4, August, 1907-, L. A. Nelson, Grant W. Humes. Mount Barnes: 4, August, 1907-P. M. McGregor, Lulu Net­ tleton, Alida J. Bigelow, George L. Hannaman, F. N. Plumb. Mount Queets: 27, May, 1907-Asahel Curtis, Grant W. Humes, W. Montelius Price. Mount Christie: 5, August, 1907-Asahel Curtis, Grant W. Humes, John A. Best, Jr., George L. Hannaman, P. M. McGregor, F. G. Kracht, J. P. Light, Eugene H. Childe, Fred J. Blake, Melvin A. Knows, Frank Etter, Ida Kracht. Mount Meany: 8, August, 1907-Asahel Curtis, L. A. Nelson, P. M. McGregor. Mount Noyes: 30, May, 1907-Asahel Curtis, Grant W. Humes. have chosen the Olympics for their summer outings about every sixth or seventh year since their first expedi­ tion into this region in 1907. This club has been active in develop­ ing the territory for recreational purposes. Working in cooperation with the Forest Service they have undertaken the building of trails. The records of their outing of the summer of 1913 show plans for the building of lodges and shelters, at which time three hundred dol­ lars was pledged for the first lodge.1.7 Other alpine clubs have made the Olympics the field of their adventures. In July, 1921, the Olym­ pians of Hoquiam and Aberdeen entered the Olympics by way of the Quinault. In July, 1928, the came northward to spend an outing amid the Olympics and to climb a number of peaks. Creation and Administration of the Monument Title to the lands of the Olympic peninsula were gained by the white man in three treaties between the Indians and Governor Isaac 1. Stevens in 1855-1856. At Point No Point, on January 26, 1855, fifty-six chiefs and headmen of the Clallam, Skokomish, and Chim­ acum tribes ceded the area including the region, along the shores of to the Hoko river, and the

17 Streator, Gertrude, "The Olympic Outing-1913," The Mountaineer, VI, 32, 1913. 224 Clifford Edwin, Roloff interior to the summit of the mountains. Five days later at Neah Bay forty-two chiefs and headmen of the Makah tribe ceded the area beginning at the Hoko river, extending around Cape Flattery, and back to the mountain summits. On July 1, 1855, and Janu­ ary 26, 1856, in two sessions at the mouth of the Quinault river and at Olympia, and along the Pacific to the Ozette or Lower Cape Flat­ tery, thirty-two Indians of the Quinaults, Quillayutes, Queets, Hoh, and Ozettes ceded the territory beginning at Lower Cape Flattery and extending south to the Quinault and back to the summits of the mountains. In return for their three cessions the United States set aside three large reservations to the Indians, granted them a money payment, and promised schools and other aid for twenty years. This settlement opened the way for settlement of the new region. The tremendously heavy-timbered interior of the peninsula was set aside by President Gover Cleveland in a proclamation as the Olympic Forest Reserve on February 22, 1897.~8 On April 7, 1900, and July 25, 1901, President William McKinley by executive order withdrew certain lands from the Reserve and opening them to set­ tlement,u In its early years little study or attention was given to the reserve to make the best use of its lands and resources. However, in 1905, this reserve, together with millions of acres of timber re­ serves elsewhere, was transferred by Congress to the Forest Service under the Department of Agriculture. Since then definite progress has been made in the program of conservation. By proclamation of March 2, 1907, President restored to the For­ est Reserve those lands which had been withdrawn and which had not yet been taken up for settlement,2o The name of the Reserve was changed to the . The special homestead act of June 11, 1906, and the mining laws, did not protect fully the reserve from private encroachment. In order to adequately preserve the rugged and scenic heart of the reserve and the herds of Olympic Elk for all time from private exploitation the need arose for further protection of this mountain area. Thus, agitation for the creation of a national park or a na­ tional monument which would include the heart of the mountain area occurred. As early as 1890, Lieutenant O'Neil suggested the possi­ bilities of a national park :2~ "In closing, I would state while the country on the outer slope

18 Statutes at Large of the United States of America, XXIX, 901-902. 19 Ibid, XXXI, 1962-1963; XXXII, pt. 2, 1981-1983. 20 Ibid, XXXIV, pt., 3, 3'306. 21 Mathias, ap. cit., 38. The Mount Olympus National Monument 225

of these mountains is valuable, the interior is useless for all prac­ ticable purposes. It would, however, serve admirably for a national park. There are numerous elk, that noble animal fast disappearing from this country, that should be protected. The scenery, which often made us hungry, weary, and over-packed explorers forget for the moment our troubles, to pause and admire, would surely please people traveling with comfort and for pleasure." The way was prepared for the creation of a national monu­ ment by the passage of "An Act for the preservation of American antiquities," by Congress on June 8, 1906.22 Section 2 of this act reads "That the President of the United States is hereby authorized, in his discretion, to declare by public proclamation historic land­ marks, historic and prehistoric structures, and other objects of his­ toric or scientific interest that are situated upon the lands owned or controlled by the government of the United States to be national monuments." ... To Congressman W. E. Humphrey of Washington a great share of the credit must be given for the creation of the Mount Olympus National Monument. It was through his persistent efforts that the presidential proclamation was made which set aside the area now known as the Monument. The manner in which he rendered this service to his state and to the nation at large has been left to us by Congressman Humphrey himself :23 "The story of the new 'National Monument' set aside in the Olympic mountains, is a tale that will not take many words in the telling. ·Ever since I have been in Congress I have been working to have a bill passed that would make a national game preserve in these mountains. I desired this, not only to preserve the game, but as a step toward a national park. This bill was favored by Presi­ dent Roosevelt but met with much opposition in Congress. Once I did succeed in getting it through the House, but it died in the Senate. There was no possibility of getting it passed again before President Roosevelt went out of office. In my anxiety to do some­ thing toward preserving the of the Olympics, the largest and finest elk in the world, and to keep this region in shape where no one could claim that they held rights because of settlement, I thought of the statute that gives the President the power to set aside certain areas of land to preserve such features as were of a

22 Statutes at Large, XXXIV, pt. 1, 225. 23 Humphrey, Hon. W. E., "Olympic National Monument," The M01n/,taineey, II, 41-42, November, 1909. 226 Clifford Edwi"" Roloff great scientific value. I decided to ask the President to do this with this region. I requested Mr. Pinchot, who was interested always in game protection, to go with me to see the President for this purpose. "I shall not forget that visit. It was, as I recall, the second day of March, two days before the end of the Roosevelt administration and the beginning of the Taft administration. I was waiting in the Cabinet room when the President came in. He had that wearied and tired expression that comes from long continued exertion, when there is more work crowding upon you than you can possibly do. This was the first and only time that I ever saw him when he showed the effect of the almost unbelievable amount of work that he did in those closing strenuous days. "Without waiting for any formal greeting, as soon as he entered he called to me across the room, " 'Tell me what you want, Mr. Humphrey, and I will give it to you. Do not take time to give me details, simply tell me what you wish me to do.' "I said, 'Mr. President, I want you to set aside as a National Monument, 750,000 acres in the heart of the Olympic mountains, the main purpose of this is to preserve the elk in the Olympics.' "He replied, 'I will do it. Prepare your order and I will sign it.' "That was the whole transaction. I shook hands with him, wished him success in Africa, and told him goodbye. As I was going out, he said to me, 'I will tell you all about my hunt when I return.' That is the last time that I saw him." As a result, President Theodore Roosevelt on March 2, 1909, in creating the Mount Olympus National Monument proclaimed :24 "Whereas, the slopes of Mount Olympus and the adjacent sum­ mits of the Olympic Mountains, in the state of Washington, within the Olympic National Forest, embrace certain objects of unusual scientific interest, including numerous glaciers, and the region which from time immemorial has formed the summer range and breeding grounds of the Olympic Elk (Cervus roosevelti), a species pecu­ liar to these mountains and rapidly decreasing in numbers; "Now, therefore, I, Theodore Roosevelt, President of the Unit­ ed States of America, by virtue of the power in me vested by section two of the Act of Congress, approved June eighth, nineteen hundred and six, entitled, 'An Act for the preservation of American antiq-' uities,' do proclaim ... the Mount Olympus National Monument. . ." 24 Statutes at Large, XXXV, pt. 2, 2247-2248. The Mow~t Olympus National Monumen.t 227

The Monument at the time of its creation embraced 615,000 acres. In accordance with the policy of the government in placing monuments surrounded by national forests under the Department of Agriculture, the Monument is administered by the Agriculture Department. This enables the Forest Service to care for it in con­ nection with their forest work. Withdrawals of certain areas were made by Presidents William Howard Taft, and Calvin Coolidge on April 17, 1912, May 11, 1915, and January 7, 1929, respectively.25 There has been a definite attempt by certain interests to abolish the Monument or to greatly lessen restrictions in order to allow min­ ing claims and private development. This proposal has been staunch­ ly opposed by the Mountaineers and others interested in the preser­ vation of the Monument. Congressman Humphrey proposed a bill for the creation of a national park and the Mountaineers passed a resolution: "That it is the sense of the Mountaineers that the Olym­ pic National Monument, with properly revised and corrected boun­ daries, be not abolished until such time as it can be converted into a permanent National Park, which we believe to be its ultimate best use."26 In spite of the efforts, on one hand, to abolish the Monument by those desiring to benefit by its resources, and, on the other, to make it a national park it today remains as the Mount Olympus Na­ tional Monument. The monument today comprises 298,730 acres in the very heart of the Olympics. In it are found most of the principal peaks, includ­ ing Mounts Olympus, Christie, Noyes, Meany, Seattle, Barnes, Queets, Carrie, Anderson, Stone, Dana, Scott, Wilder, Fitz Henry, Andrews. Headwaters of the main streams begin within its limits and radiate in all directions. The excellent grazing grounds of the area afford a habitat for at least 7,000 elk, besides the great numbers of other animals. The Olympic Elk largely for whose preservation the Mount Olympus National Monument was created deserves special notice. He is considerably larger and lighter than the eastern elk, and pos­ sesses heavier and more massive antlers. When the first specimen of Olympic Elk was sent to the National Museum, Dr. Merriam im­ mediately observed that it was deserving of separate classification as a new species. He, then, gave it the name of "Cervus Roosevelti." Joseph T. Hazard says of the elk: "There are none like him, as

25 Ib,:d, XXXVII, pt. 2, 1737; XXXIX, pt. 2, 1726, XLV, pt. 2, 2984-2985. 26 The Mountaineer Bulletin, IV, 1, December, 1914. 228 Clifford Edwin Roloff large or as perfect, elsewhere, in the whole world. He, more than any human, awakened the interest of Theodore Roosevelt and as­ surred the protection of all elk, forever, within this sacred precincts of the Olympic Monument. It is just that the name of Roosevelt should be honored in the naming of this species."27 Today the superb scenery and the recreational benefits of this alpine area are easily available to the traveler. Numerous trails have been built along the streams leading to the interior of the region. Lodges and chalets have been constructed for the convenience and comfort of the mountain climber. On August 26, 1931, the highway encircling the peninsula was completed and opened. This will mean a great increase of tourists in the Olympics. The Olympic Monu­ ment, today, appears to offer great promise for the future, both as a means of preserving the noble elk and as an unsurpassable recrea­ tional area. CLIFFORD EDWIN ROLOFF

27 Hazard, op. cit., 56.

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